Consider all the facts on land lines

Regarding Nikki Boertman's Aug. 21 Fabulous & Frugal column "Cut cord on home telephone, cut budget," all facts pertaining to costs must be presented to have an apple-to-apple comparison.

She does mention you have to have high-speed Internet for service just as Vonage or even Comcast. The cost for such service just for high-speed Internet from Comcast is $44.95 a month. The service is called VOIP, Voice Over Internet Protocol, as she mentions, nevertheless her article is aimed at all people, and I doubt if there is in effect a saving once all other benefits are added to the bill.

You have to register your phone with Vonage to let 911 call takers see your phone number and address. Nine eleven dialing and Vonage service do not work in a power or broadband outage.

The only service that will work in a power outage is your land-line phone. To me, this is the sole reason to keep a land line.

Cellphones are replacing land lines, and as a board member of Shelby County Emergency Communications District, I have seen our earnings drop significantly because of cellphone increase. Considering all the facts, I would vote for the safety issue for our senior citizens. In the course of time of need, be sure you have 911 service 24/7. Even in a power outage, nothing is better than a land line.

"The only service that will work in a power outage is your land-line phone. To me, this is the sole reason to keep a land line."

How to keep up with the research change

911 services need to figure out how to keep up with the research change, espcially in knowing where a 911 cell phone call originates, and on the fee structure for 911.